Skip to content

Student Learning Objective 4

Specify the role of engineering in total quality management.

Learning Objective J

Employ the scientific approach in total quality management.

Content

The topic for Module J is the scientific approach. This module contains a discussion of the scientific approach, objective versus subjective information and information technology.

Slide 35: Objective vs. Subjective

  • All approaches to decision making fall into either objective or subjective

  • Subjective decision making is based upon intuition, experience and incomplete information

  • Objective decision making

  • Figure 16-5: Factors that Contribute to Objective Decision Making

    • Time
    • Complete accurate information (facts)
    • Freedom to selecte the best alternative

Figure 16-5: Factors that Contribute to Objective Decision Making

Slide 36: Scientific Approach

  • One of the keys to success in a total quality setting is using the scientific approach

  • Consider Juran’s 85/15 rule

There is a widely held belief that an organization would have few, if any, problems if only workers would do their jobs correctly. As Dr. Joseph M. Juran pointed out years ago, this belief is incorrect. In fact, the potential to eliminate mistakes and errors lies mostly in improving the 'systems' through which work is done, not in changing the workers. This observation has evolved into the role of thumb that at least 85% of the problems can only be correct by changing systems (which are largely determined by management) and less than 15% are under a worker's control - and the split may lean even more towards the system.

Find source

Juran's 85/15 Rule

Slide 37: Role of Information and IT

  • Information is critical to decision making

  • “Information can be defined as data that have been converted into a usable format that is relevant to the decision-making process”

Slide 38: Information Quality Issues

  • Sufficiency

  • Accuracy

  • Timeliness

  • Intellectual Property

  • Security

  • Cybercrime

  • Privacy

  • Pollution (2M web pages are added per day)

  • Creativity

  • Control and Prevention

Slide 39: Information Overload

  • Figure 16-7: Information Overload

  • Problems caused by information overload

    • Too much attention given to unimportant matters
    • Too little attention given to important details
    • Unnecessary, unproductive delays
    • Confusion
    • Frustration

NOTE: the following figure and textbook reference Figure 16-6. In the 8th edition, this is Figure 16-7.

Figure 16-6: Information Overload